This heavily blooming Salvia from Mexico has heart-shaped leaves and spectacular flower spikes up to 18 inches long from winter through spring and into summer. The blooms are bright red-orange with rich purple-black calyxes and stems.Give this sage full sun and plenty of room, because it grows up to 10 feet tall and almost as wide. It needs protection from strong winds and rains that can cause the heavily laden, woody branches to break.

This variety of Salvia gesneriiflora often is called “Tequila” in reference to its scientific name. In 1970, botanists from Southern California’s Huntington Botanical Gardens collected seed from the parent plant on the Volcan de Tequila in the Mexican Province of Jalisco.

One of the showiest Salvias we grow, Tequila also is one of our very best hummingbird plants. It’s popular with butterflies and honeybees as well. Use it as a screen, background planting or border.